In this uncertain time that we currently find ourselves in, I take some comfort in the fact that whatever happens I will be ready to face it. While there are days when I feel a little flat, I am at heart an optimist and have confidence in my ability to get through whatever life throws my way.
I don’t know about you, but as a natural ruminator, I have always imagined the worst case scenario before we ever get anywhere close to this, and most times of course, the worst case never eventuates.
Even so, I like to be prepared, practically and mentally.
We live in New Zealand, affectionately referred to by some as ‘the shaky isles’ and the city in which I reside is always at risk of being hit by a major earthquake. You do learn to live with the occasional rocking and rolling that generally does not result in any damage, but you never know when the big one will hit.
So, like many citizens of this land, we have emergency water and supplies to tide us through a major shake. Funnily enough, while we never once dreamed that an emergency could ever end up looking like the one we are currently living through, it is comforting to know that we have hand sanitiser and face masks in our emergency kit if we need them.
I am sure that I have mentioned before that at any time, I need the security of plenty of food in my cupboards. Bean soup may not be so appetising if you had to eat it three times a week, but the fact that I could keep my family alive if there was no access to a shop to is a fundamental need of mine. So there is always plenty of dried beans, rice, flour, pasta, tinned food and any number of condiments in the pantry.
We have a small garden, but I take great pleasure in each modest harvest, be it vegetables or plums from our tree.
I like the idea of self sufficiency and frugality. I have been alarmed at the rampant commercialism that I have seen grow out of control over my lifetime. I do like nice things, I will not lie, but the scale and volume of what is available to buy, the resultant waste and the impact on the environment does not sit well with me.
And so I am relishing the fact that the stores are all closed. It has opened my eyes to the fact that I often buy things that I don’t really need. The act of not buying at this present time feels strangely liberating.
I have taken the opportunity of this time at home to critically look at my possessions and this has resulted in a whirlwind of ‘Marie Kondo’, casting out so many bags of items that no longer ‘spark joy’. I can walk into my wardrobe now and actually see what is there, and know that what I can see, I actually like, it fits and it suits me. Again, so liberating.
I am sure that I am not the only woman in the world conducting an inventory of their home environment during this extraordinary time in our history. Revisiting our priorities, working out the bare essentials (and necessary luxuries) we need to sustain life, how we best nurture those we love, how we express our authenticity and feminine selves – without the distraction and influence of the outside world.
There is finally some time to breathe the air and clarity, to know within ourselves, what we need and don’t need in order to live well.
Quietly Quaintrelle 